Best Scopes for a .22LR Rimfire

The best scope for a .22LR is a light, low-magnification scope with parallax set close, at 50 yards rather than the usual 100. From our range, the Burris Droptine 3-9x40 Rimfire and the Burris Fullfield E1 3-9x40 Shotgun both have fixed 50 yd parallax, with 1/4 MOA clicks and no battery to go flat. Inside 50 m (55 yd), a 2 MOA red dot such as the SIG Sauer ROMEO5 Gen II is often faster still. A big 5-25x scope is almost always the wrong answer on a rimfire.

Rimfire shooting happens between about 20 and 100 m: rabbits and rats around buildings, Mini Rifle, club gallery shooting, benchrest. That short working distance changes what a good scope looks like, and it is why so many rimfires carry far more glass than the job needs. Everything named here is in our rimfire and .22LR optics collection.

Parallax is the spec that really matters

A scope's parallax setting is the distance at which the reticle and the target image sit on the same focal plane. At any other distance, moving your eye off-centre makes the reticle appear to shift across the target. Most conventional hunting scopes are fixed at 100 yd, because that is where centrefires are zeroed. Burris lists its standard Fullfield E1 3-9x40 and both Scout scopes at a fixed 100 yd, for example.

Shoot that scope at a rabbit at 30 m and the parallax error is real. It isn't enormous, but it introduces an inconsistency you can't train out, and it grows as you wind the magnification up. There are three sensible answers.

• Fixed parallax set at 50 yd. The Burris Droptine 3-9x40 Rimfire is set at 50 yd (Burris Droptine). So is the Burris Fullfield E1 3-9x40 Shotgun (200346), which Burris calibrated for slug ranges but which suits rimfire distances just as well. The Muzzleloader version (200347) is also fixed at 50 yd (Burris Fullfield E1).
• Adjustable side focus that goes low enough. This is useful, but check the bottom of the range before you buy: a focus that stops at 50 yd is little help at 20 m across a barn.
• Low magnification. At 3x, parallax error is a fraction of what it is at 12x. That's the quiet reason a modest scope shoots so well on a rimfire.

Why a big scope is the wrong answer

• Weight ruins the handling. A rimfire is the rifle you carry and shoot offhand more than any other. A heavy scope and tall rings change its balance completely.
• Magnification you can't use. At 25x, a rabbit at 40 m fills the view and your own pulse becomes the main source of movement.
• Field of view collapses. Rimfire targets move, and a wide field at low power is worth more than resolution you can't hold still.
• Money in the wrong place. The difference is better spent on the ammunition your rifle groups best with.

What we stock for a rimfire

Sources: Burris product pages for the Droptine, Fullfield E1, Scout 2.75x20 and Scout 2-7x32.

The Droptine and Fullfield E1 are the conventional answers. Both are 3-9x40 with 1/4 MOA clicks and 50 MOA of elevation and windage, and both are unilluminated, so there is no battery to fail. Their 50 yd parallax is why they suit rimfire work.

The two Burris Scout scopes are different animals. They are long-eye-relief optics made to sit forward of the action on a barrel-mounted rail, so you shoot with both eyes open and full peripheral vision. On a rimfire that has a forward rail, that makes for fast close shooting. Note that Burris sets both at 100 yd parallax; their low magnification is what keeps the error small at rimfire distances.

A red dot is a completely legitimate choice inside 50 m, for rats around buildings, young shooters, or anyone who finds a scope's eye box hard work. Pick a small dot (2 MOA rather than 6), because rimfire targets are small. Our red dot size chart covers what dot size means at these distances.

Mounting: dovetail against Picatinny

This is where more rimfire orders go wrong than anywhere else.

Many rimfires, particularly European sporters, have a dovetail groove machined into the receiver rather than a Picatinny rail. CZ, for example, describes the CZ 457 as having "the proven 11 mm CZ dovetail" (CZ 457 Varmint). A dovetail is not a Picatinny rail. It has a different width and profile and no recoil slots, so Picatinny or Weaver rings will not clamp to it.

We don't currently stock scope rings, dovetail rings or dovetail-to-Picatinny adapters, so source those separately. First check what your receiver actually has. Then choose the lowest rings that clear the objective bell: a 20 mm or 32 mm objective will usually sit low, and a 40 mm often wants medium. If your rifle already has a Picatinny rail, as many modern tactical rimfires do, a red dot on its own Picatinny mount fits straight on.

Frequently asked questions

What magnification do I need on a .22LR?

Around 3x to 9x covers nearly all rimfire shooting. Much above 12x is carried rather than used, and it makes close-range parallax error worse.

Does a rimfire scope need adjustable parallax?

It helps, but it isn't essential. A scope with fixed 50 yd parallax, like the Burris Droptine Rimfire or Fullfield E1 Shotgun, already suits rimfire distances.

Will Picatinny rings fit my CZ?

Not directly. The CZ 457 uses an 11 mm dovetail, which needs dovetail rings or a Picatinny adapter fitted first.

What if the rimfire is a trainer for something bigger?

Then buy glass that teaches the same habits: a second-focal-plane hunting reticle and 1/4 MOA clicks carry straight over. Our guides to best scopes for deer stalking and optics for a straight-pull AR cover where rimfire shooters often go next.

Do I need a certificate for the scope itself?

Optics are dealt with separately from the rifle; see do you need a licence for a rifle scope, red dot or torch. Air rifles are treated differently again.